Kenneth Gibson

12 May 2014 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what the impact on Scotland will be of UK Government plans to raise the retirement age.

29 Apr 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when all three Clyde Marine Protected Areas will be designated and whether they will exclude dredgers and trawlers to protect vulnerable habitats and white fish nursery grounds.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: We aim to make decisions in summer 2014 on which of the 33 possible Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) included in the 2013 consultation should be designated. The 33 possible MPAs include three in the Clyde. The management of MPAs will be informed by the conserva…

28 Apr 2014 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what estimate it has made of how much would have been saved if the PPP/PFI projects carried out during the previous administration had been funded through the non-profit distribution model.

17 Apr 2014 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government’s assessment is of labour market conditions in Scotland.

24 Mar 2014 · Topical Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the report by Professor Leslie Young on a currency union with the rest of the UK.

17 Mar 2014 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it encourages schools to teach pupils about the Scottish Enlightenment and its impact in Scotland and beyond.

27 Jan 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on reports that the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's Devolution Unit is contacting governments overseas seeking their support against Scottish independence.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The Scottish Government will continue to work within the formal structures agreed with the UK Government. The UK Government and all devolved governments work to a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and Supplementary Agreements on Devolution. Section D1.3 of …

13 Jan 2014 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether Scotland's farmers now receive the lowest farm payments in the EU and, if so, whether this is due to a lack of direct representation.

13 Jan 2014 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's response is to the Treasury announcement that it will honour all UK Government debt up to the date of the independence referendum.

16 Dec 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure that patients are able to see their GP timeously.

Answer · Alex Neil: The Scottish Government knows how important it is for patients to have prompt access to services when needed and that is why there is in place a national standard of 48 hour access, or advance booking, to an appropriate member of the GP practice team during c…

16 Dec 2013 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its education priorities will be in 2014.

Answer · Michael Russell: The education priorities for 2014 are set out in ‘The Government’s Programme for Scotland 2013-2014’.

9 Dec 2013 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the purpose was of the Cabinet Secretary for Culture and External Affairs's recent visit to Denmark and Sweden.

28 Nov 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the economic impact of the claim in the report by Lawrence Tomlinson that RBS put "good and viable businesses" into default to improve its balance sheet.

Answer · John Swinney: The Department for Business, Innovation & Skills (BIS) provided Sir Andrew Large’s Independent Review team with evidence assembled by Lawrence Tomlinson, Entrepreneur in Residence at BIS, in relation to alleged maltreatment of businesses by RBS’s Global Restr…

25 Nov 2013 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with opposition parties about currency options in an independent Scotland.

25 Nov 2013 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minster what the Scottish Government's position is on the recent comments by the Secretary of State for Scotland regarding the future of the Barnett formula once the economy has "stabilised".

18 Nov 2013 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to boost vocational education and training in North Ayrshire.

18 Nov 2013 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's response is to the report by the Institute for Fiscal Studies on the fiscal sustainability of an independent Scotland.

4 Nov 2013 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government how the Scottish Ten is using the latest laser technology to examine data from the Eastern Qing Tombs in China.

25 Sep 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what average number of weeks was taken to determine major planning applications in each local authority in the last year for which information is available.

Answer · Derek Mackay: For those cases submitted post August 2009 the average time taken to determine a major application in Scotland was 36.3 weeks (1 April 2012 to 31 March 2013). The overall decision time for all major applications including legacy cases was 61.1 weeks. Informat…

25 Sep 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it is having with the UK Government regarding Barnett consequentials arising from the HS2 project and when it expects such discussions to be concluded.

Answer · Keith Brown: We believe that decisions about Scotland should be taken by the people who care most about Scotland: those who live and work here. It is only with full decision-making powers that the Scottish Parliament will be able to access all of Scotland’s resources to d…

20 Sep 2013 · Inspired Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-16620 by John Swinney on 2 September 2013, when it will publish a paper outlining proposals for pensions policy in an independent Scotland.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: I am pleased to advise that Pensions in an Independent Scotland will be published today. It can be accessed via the publications section of the Scottish Government’s website - http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/. A copy of the publication has also been …

16 Sep 2013 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to boost production of both domestic and foreign films in Scotland.

9 Sep 2013 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government to what extent personal circumstances are taken into account when considering middle-aged men for a free health check.

9 Sep 2013 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what action the Scottish Government is taking to encourage fostering.

26 Aug 2013 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what reductions it anticipates there will be to the Scottish budget in the years to 2017-18 if Scotland remains part of the UK.

19 Aug 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the publication of a recent report by the Institute of Economic Affairs suggesting that the High Speed Rail 2 network from London to Birmingham and Manchester could cost £80 billion, what benefits it expects that this investment will bring to Scotland's (a) people and (b) ec…

Answer · Keith Brown: We are aware of the claims of the Institute of Economic Affairs, although the UK Government’s position remains that the budget for High Speed 2 is still at £42.6 billion, including a contingency fund of some £14 billion. By any measure, High Speed 2 will req…

24 Jun 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it will introduce compulsory microchipping of dogs, in light of its introduction or planned introduction in other parts of the UK.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: The Scottish Government is aware that Northern Ireland has introduced compulsory microchipping of dogs and that England and Wales plan to introduce it soon. We propose to consult on compulsory microchipping and aim to issue the consultation before the end of …

10 Jun 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether management options for marine protected areas take account of the impacts on non-mobile stakeholder groups such as creelers and anglers.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-15587 on 24 June 2013. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybu…

10 Jun 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it will review the management options for marine protected areas and publish that review.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-15587 on 24 June 2013. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybu…

10 Jun 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when Scottish Natural Heritage and Marine Scotland will hold a public meeting on Arran to discuss the proposed South Arran Marine Protected Area.

Answer · Michael Matheson: We are developing management options for Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) where scientific advice suggests that some form of management may be necessary to achieve the conservation objectives for each proposed protected feature in each possible MPA. The approach…